Dedee Truit (Christina Ricci) is the opposite of sweet sixteen. Politically incorrect, outrageous, and bracingly honest, she descends on the Indiana town of her half-brother Bill (Martin Donovan) like the force of nature she is. Within weeks Dedee seduces his beautiful but befuddled live-in boyfriend Matt (Ivan Sergei), announces Matt's the father of her unborn child, and escapes with him - and $10,000 of Bill's money - to the not-so-bright lights of Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Matt's other boyfriend (Johnny Galecki) blames Bill for his disappearance, and gets even by pushing for an investigation by the local sheriff (Lyle Lovett) - who incidentally carries a torch for Bill's best friend Lucia (Lisa Kudrow), a wickedly acid spinster who disapproves of everything Dedee does - and hey, who can blame her?

It's a chase, buoyant comedy of manners, a celebration of the unpredictable. But ultimately it's the story of six confused, touching, and hilarious people who eventually stumble into what they've wanted all along: loving, committed relationships -- what Dedee calls "the opposite of sex."